Dii languages


The Dii language is a dialect cluster in the Duru branch of Savanna languages. Yag Dii is the ethnonym.
Ethnologue lists Mambe’, Mamna’a, Goom, Boow, Ngbang, Sagzee, Vaazin, Home, Nyok as dialects, and notes that Goom may be a separate language. Blench lists them all, as well as Phaane, as separate languages, no closer to each other than they are to the other Dii languages, Duupa, Dugun.

Varieties

The Duupa used to live in the Hosséré Vokré mountains to the east of Poli. Today, the vast majority have descended from the mountains and now live in the Lobi River plains and in Poli.
The Dugun, also called Pa'no, live southeast of Poli in the North Region. The Dugun live in the plains, and the Saa in the center of a massif that is difficult to access. Lars Lode, a missionary linguist, estimated a lexical similarity of 95% between the two varieties using a 100-word list. The Dugun consider themselves to be a subgroup of the Dii people. Their language, although closely related to Dii, is distinct.
The Dii live east of the Dugun. They live in a large part of the Bénoué River plains, including in the departments of Mayo-Rey and Vina. They are predominantly located to the east of Poli in the plains of Mayo-Sala and Mayo-Rey as well as in the upper Benue River region and the upper Vina River region, on the edge of the Adamaoua cliff. Nyok, considered by other Dii speakers to be a secret language, may be a distinct language. Furthermore, not much is known about Goom, which ALCAM considers to be a dialect of Dii.

Writing System

Nasalisation is indicated with a cedilla : ‹a̧, ȩ, ə̧, i̧, o̧, u̧› ; The vowels ‹ɨ, ɔ, ʉ› cannot be nasalized.
The tones are indicated by accents:
  • The high tone is indicated by an acute accent: ‹á, á̧, é, ȩ́, ə́, ə̧́, í, í̧, ɨ́, ó, ó̧, ɔ́, ú, ú̧, ʉ́› ;
  • The low tone is indicated by a grave accent: ‹à, à̧, è, ȩ̀, ə̀, ə̧̀, ì, ì̧, ɨ̀, ò, ò̧, ɔ̀, ù, ù̧, ʉ̀› ;
  • The average tone is indicated by no diacritic: ‹a, a̧, e, ȩ, ə, ə̧, i, i̧, ɨ, o, o̧, ɔ, u, u̧, ʉ›.